I feel the Martin bow is a good bow on the lower cost end.
I shot a Martin Onza that had the overdraw built right in the handle and was top of the line back in it's day, with duel cams. It is a really heavy bow compared to the new ones today but I killed alot of things with that set up.
I believe Ted Nugent is still shooting Martin bows.

I've owend alot of bows since I started hunting. My FAVORITE is probably Dartin. It's the first bow I used and it lasted me several years. IMO Bear makes the best bows and I've had some really nice ones from them.

I havn't forked out the big bucks for a Hoyt or Mathews. PSE's don't seem to last more then a season or two for us.

I have 3 brothers and a dad that archery hunt so I've seen alot of bows come and go. My brother shoots a hoyt, and dad a Martin, but my brother says the hoyt isn't anyhting special. The toughest so far is my dads Martin . That things taken a beating the last 2 years and still shoots great.

My next buy is going to be English style long bow though.

your best bet is to find a local store and see what he sells. More than likey when a problem arises during hunting season and you need your bow fixed, it will be easier if the guy carries what brand your using. Parts in stock is alot beter than wating 3-4 days for a string thats on backorder because your broadhead nicked your string the morning before the season starts.

I have several PSEs that I have colected over the years. They have a lifetime warrenty so you really can't go wrong with one.And they are tough. They will last even the roughest hunting conditions you can find.
I may seem biast because I work for PSE, but I was shooting them for 28 years prior to working for them.
There is a midline bow from PSE in the bow madness that is very smooth and extreemly affordble. I would not recomend buying a used bow without having it completely checked out by a "good " archery tech.
Good luck with whatever you choose, and be careful.

my first bow was a fredbear older than i was, but i upgraded last year after 2 years of saving and got a hoyt powerhawk, i went to our local bow shop and tried a few out and thats the one that was most comfortable for me, and yea going with the bow that you can shoot the best over the one that might have the best stats wouldnt be a bad move at all, hope you find one that fits you

In archery, repetitiveness is EVERYTHING.Same anchor point, same release action, same grip on the bow, same follow through... it all comes down to the N'th degree of "little" things making the final result of accuracy achievable.I made a test recently - I have two bows that I am going to hunt with this year - an older PSE and a new Bear.I have a set of arrows for each bow that are different in length.I have been shooting quite a bit and my groups are getting better - I have been out of...